Today the SPP police union warned the chaos in Spain’s third busiest airport will get worse unless changes are made to flight schedules.

Between today and Sunday, some 622,000 passengers are expected to pass through the airport.

The union said greedy airlines and tour operators were to blame for the chaos and urged them and airport authority Aena to stagger flights.

The problem is compounded by the fact many flights are scheduled to leave for the UK in the early morning and evening.

In a statement the union denied responsibility for the long queues, saying: “Thousands of British tourists who arrive at the airport are forced through a narrow passage barely three meters wide, popularly known as the microwave.”

It added: “The extremely intense concentration of flights is beneficial to the airlines, the tour operators and Aena in order to generate profits and reduce costs.”

Officers staffing border controls faced 25,000 passengers during the busiest three hours of the morning, the union said.

It added: “The border legislation is made by the European Union, it’s not invented by the National Police.”

The union called on flights from the UK to be staggered “in a rational manner in everyone’s interests” – and said economic considerations should not come first.

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